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For the first four days she followed the exact same routine. Her maids would knock on her bedroom door and when she responded, they would bustle about pushing back curtains that let in only the dimmest grey light, lighting lamps and preparing her bath.
By the time she emerged from the bath, her clothing for the day had been laid out on her bed and once she was dressed, there was a breakfast of the same vegetables over something like rice, noodles or quinoa. In the meanwhile, her maids would make over the "nice kitty", brushing him while he endured it with wise-crack remarks only Jenny could hear.
The clothing the seamstress had created for her was all in various shades of grey and black. No wonder she didn't ask Jenny for her color preference. The only spots of any color in her rooms beside the beige and tan were the tapestries which held colored mandala-type designs. Instead of the robes worn by Sam and her parents, these clothes reminded her of paintings she had seen of the Quaker settlers of the United States. Plain dresses with loose fitting bodices, high necks, gathered skirts and simple satin slippers, with optional bonnets. None of it was trimmed with anything like lace or ruffles. A good thing, in Jenny's opinion. The cloth was soft, however, which was a relief as she had been dreading the idea of some scratchy penance-inducing material.
As soon as her breakfast was finished, Mynah would come to "instruct" her. These teaching sessions were more than a little strange, but actually somewhat useful. She still had no idea what Sam and her family were planning for her, but she did know somewhat more about the dimension and planet on which she found herself.
It turned out that this planet was on the very edges of the solar system it belonged to. The sun was so far away that the only light was grey and even the two moons that orbited the planet were wan and almost misty, more like a nightlight than anything else. The galaxy that claimed its orbit was far away from any other and their solar system was on the far edge of that. They were so tenuously connected to any of it that their planet could very possibly go rogue at some point, breaking away to float between galaxies and solar systems, at which point all life which existed here would be snuffed like a candle that had burned out.
This would happen eventually. Mynah had been certain about that, but it wasn't an urgent concern, as things went. This was thousands of years in the future.
The only thing that prevented the planet from being a ball of ice, with no atmosphere or liquid water was a very hot core and strong gravity. Jenny felt as if she weighed an extra twenty pounds, which took some getting used to, but she was adjusting.
The food they ate wasn't vegetables at all, as it turned out, but several types of fungi that was the only thing that would grow in the low light of this world. Jenny began to understand the lack of color in her surroundings. Color was seen by the human eye only when light was present. She wondered where the colors had come from in the tapestries she had seen, so she asked Mynah.
He replied that the planet had not always been so dark. Their planet had been drifting farther and farther to the edges of their solar system for thousands of years. Over time they had developed many types of artificial light, but their eyes were not used to it, so they only used the brighter lights for things such as surgery or research. Because of this, the irises of their eyes were covered in a black film to protect them from bright lights. This was kind of like having permanent sunglasses, which also inhibited their ability to see and appreciate color.
Day in and day out, Jenny learned that the history and culture of the Fleistians was long and, as Jenny had suspected based on the tapestries in the hall, bloody. There were two very different, very separate cultures on the planet, and although King Namal claimed to be the "true" king of the planet, there was another king as well who he labeled "the usurper".
His name was Nivi and he reigned in the kingdom his people called the Kingdom of Cindu. Cindu translated to "continued light" and they believed that the people of Namal had strayed from the original teachings of their forefathers. Nevertheless, they would have let King Namal rule as he would, over those who wished to be reigned by him, as long as Namal would leave them to pursue their own beliefs.
There were two portals, one in each kingdom and many wars had been fought over them. King Namal had wanted to control both of them, but the people of Nivi had defended their portal to prevent Namal's armies from dominating the ability to travel. Recently there had been a period of relative peace mostly because of Namal's involvement in the Groga raids. His tactic was to eventually gain full access to the Alliance gate system, which would mean that the Nivian's access to the gate would be a moot point.
"So why are they giving me all of this information?" asked Jenny one day. "I don't understand."
"I would think it would be obvious," replied Mynah, a genuinely puzzled look on his face. "They know if you know the truth, you will be amenable to aiding our cause. Engoza says you have a logical mind and will fall in with our plans as soon as you realize how important it is."
Jenny had mulled this over carefully.
"And if I don't 'fall in'?"
"We will have to extract information from you unwillingly. I do not suggest it." He scratched at his immaculate head as if he was completely mystified by this thought. He didn't look at all threatening, just stating a logical fact.
By the fifth day, Jenny was having trouble sitting still. She knew her team was still out there fighting and although she now knew a lot more about Sam and her people, she hadn't been out of the room once in that five days, not that there was much to see, if she did get outside. She realized that this was nearly as effective as the sleep deprivation would have been in the thinking room. She blessed Lova for the hours she had spent strengthening her mental skills.
The absolute boredom was a bizarre form of torture. No one spoke an unkind word to her. She wasn't deprived of food or sleep. Her surroundings were as nice as any grand hotel. She was completely comfortable, and she just wanted to run.
She asked Wellis about a gym or workout room, but the concept was foreign to her. Mynah said she should not strain herself.
So, to the horror and protestations of her maids, she cleared a space by moving some furniture and started running in place. It was a bit awkward in skirts, but she managed it. "I can listen while I run, Mynah," she told him when he looked alarmed. Her maids were beside themselves, burbling in their strange language and wringing their hands. But Jenny persisted, and Tidbit sent a feeling of great amusement. If he had been in his human form, he would have been holding his sides laughing. As it was, his rumbling purr spoke of his enjoyment of the spectacle.
As she continued to jog in place, Mynah shrugged, gestured to the maids to settle themselves and continued his instruction. At no time had he asked for any information from Jenny. She would tell all as soon as she had a full understanding of their plans, Mynah assured her, and if she did not, well, she was made very aware of the consequences.
Today's lesson was to be about King Namal's allies. Although they tried to make it appear that the Fleistians were in charge, Jenny had a growing suspicion that King Namal wasn't pulling the strings.
It turned out that their allies were a powerful entity in a separate dimension who had conquered most of their own universe. Their appetite for power was not quenched and they wished to spread their influence. When they had discovered the portal that led to King Namal's domain, they swarmed in so fast that they were in the fortress before there was any chance of response.
King Namal had immediately welcomed them as if they had been invited and made a pact of friendship on the spot. The Insenium, as they called themselves, seduced Namal to see their side of things very easily as it expanded his horizons from global domination to see the bigger picture of what they could do with full access to other dimensions. Not to mention an opportunity to use the Groga, whom Namal's people had conquered a couple hundred years past.
Thus, Namal had instituted the Groga breeding program to raise himself a huge army of soldiers who didn't have the wit to even know they were slaves. He had established a large city not far from his fortress where Groga were trained from striplings to be a cog in Namal's war machine.
The majority of the Groga population, however, lived on a planet in another dimension entirely, accessible by Namal's gate.
So far, the Insenians had not stirred themselves beyond giving instructions to Namal which he promptly executed. The early raids did not start with Miriha's gate village, but with dimensions not yet established with the Alliance. The plan was to use the smaller raids to train their soldiers. Ultimately, when they were up to strength, they would tackle the Alliance more directly.
"How many soldiers will it take to be 'up to strength'?" Jenny asked, dreading the answer.
"We are nearly there. Right now, there are nearly a billion in training and many times that on the Groga world. There are two classes of Groga, the soldiers and those who serve the soldiers by providing food, clothing and weapons. For now, they wait in readiness to serve the great cause of King Namal."
"And what exactly is his 'great cause'? I don't recall you saying."
"Why, to put all universes on an equal footing, to eliminate all crime and war, and to take away the necessity for beings to make decisions for which they are not qualified. When King Namal conquers all, he will be given the power to control everything. There will be no poverty or conflict. All will live in harmony and the multiverse will be in order."
Jenny barely controlled a gasp, turning it into a cough. She stopped jogging and simply stared.
"And what decisions are we not qualified for, again?"
"Why, pretty much everything: What career to pursue, where to live, who to turn to for help, what to believe in. All would be generously given to each being in the multiverse by those much wiser than they. They need not worry about making wrong decisions for they will be taught everything they need to know and no more. In this way, the stress of choosing wrongly will be eliminated and they can live peacefully, confident that their lives are ordered."
"And you think this is a good thing, do you?"
"Do you not? By putting your trust in those put above you, you will never have to be worried about anything again."
"Except dying of boredom and being forced to be something someone else wants me to be," thought Jenny to Tidbit.
"This is the worst evil," agreed Tidbit. "The ability to choose and to make mistakes is part of what allows us to grow and learn. Beings who are not allowed to struggle and learn from their choices eventually stagnate and are reduced to simply supplying basic needs. There is always a hidden motive for those who espouse this line of thinking. They never do it from the kindness of their hearts."
"My dad used to say, 'the reason so many mice die in mousetraps is that they don't realize why the cheese is free'. You know I can't stand for this, Tidbit. I think I'm done playing around. What do you think?"
"I think you should follow your instincts, Jenny. They are usually very good."
"Mynah, I'm afraid I can't agree with your agenda. The whole, 'under the control of the evil empire' thing, doesn't work for me. It's a total deal breaker."
"Pardon? I don't think I understand," he said, clearly confused. "All would be peaceful, and everyone would have what they need. We would keep them from making horrible mistakes..."
"Or any progress. You would stifle that which makes life worth living. Peace is not worth the price you are charging for it."
Mynah shook his head and wrung his hands. "I have failed then. Failure is not pleasant, no it isn't. And you refuse to reconsider? Engoza said you would be reasonable."
Jenny looked into Tidbit's golden eyes. The cat gave the slightest nod.
"Indeed, Mynah. Bring on the torture. It can't be much worse than this."
Her maids began to wail and Mynah, mumbling aloud and shaking his head, slammed the door on his way out.
"Now what?" she sent to Tidbit.
"Change your clothes. You can't do much in that outfit," he sent dryly.
Ignoring the howls of her attendants, she marched into the bedroom, slipping out of her slippers. Her old clothes, remarkably, were in the clothes press and her boots where she had stowed them under the bed. She knew she would be unlikely to escape, but she couldn't just sit around.
As she left the bedroom, one of the maids, grabbed her arm. "Young miss, you mustn't. They will punish us all," gesturing to the other maids who were cowering together in a corner.
"I have no choice. I cannot agree to this foul plan to destroy the multiverse. People will not just lay down like trained animals. They will fight and fight and fight. The multiverse will be plunged into unending war or destroy itself in the effort. Not all cultures are like the Groga, and many of them are so much more advanced than Earth, where I come from, or your planet. I must do what I must, and I'm sorry if it harms you. How about you help me escape and we can all get out of here?"
The two maids in the corner began to moan and wring their hands, but the one who had addressed her paused thoughtfully. "Come with me," she sent. And her fellow maids wailed even louder than before.
They went out the door, Tidbit at Jenny's side. The maid led her the opposite way from how she had entered the suite, down the corridor to another staircase, narrower and steeper than the one she had come up nearly a week ago.
Several floors down, the maid put her finger to her lips in that universal gesture of quiet. They entered another hallway that could have been an exact copy of the one from which they had come. Jenny couldn't even tell if any of the gruesome hangings were different. A few doors down the hallway, the maid tapped quietly on a door. As it opened, a liveried maid peered out. She and Jenny's maid conversed quietly in their own language. "Come," her maid said as soon as the other nodded.
She walked into a suite very similar to hers, but all in dark greys and black. From an over-sized armchair with it's back to the door a figure rose.
Sam! She had been betrayed, again! Sam grinned. "This one will be rewarded for her faithfulness. The others will lose their lives for their cowardice."
Sam was no longer dressed in her voluminous robes. She wore what her mom would have called a "cat suit". Black, spandex-like material hugged her every curve. Her blood red nails betrayed the only color. Around her neck, a necklace of ebony stones, like black diamonds, hung past her scooped neckline.
Sam paced a circle around Jenny. "Well, well, well. You have decided to decline our hospitality then?"
Jenny decided in that moment to continue her policy of silence with Sam. She just stood there impassively, her head up and shoulders back, waiting to see what would happen next.
Sam put her hands on her hips, her mouth twisting in derision. "Still giving me the silent treatment, then? You'll find that won't sit well with my friends in the discussion room.
OK, look. I tried to give you a chance, because of our friendship, but your chances have run out. I refuse to be responsible for what happens next." She pressed a button on the wall similar to the one on Jenny's former bedroom and a soft knock came on the door moments later.
"My guards live in the room next door," she explained as her maid rushed to open the door.
Jenny fleetingly wondered if the guards were there to protect her or to keep her out of trouble.
The two guards went to one knee, awaiting instructions.
"This one seems to think she prefers the discussion room to her quarters, and I intend to oblige her. Please send for the Chief Conversationalist. I will attend him there."
"Come on, Jenny. I'll escort you to your next adventure." She said this with as much flippancy as if she were talking about lunch at the mall.
They walked back down the corridor to continue down the narrow stone stairs for what seemed like 20 stories. "Elevators encourage slothfulness," Sam commented. "Strength is paramount in our kingdom. We'll soon discover how you measure up."
As they exited the stairwell, Jenny realized they had entered a large indoor stadium of some sort. It looked as if it would hold forty or fifty thousand attendees. Once again, the ubiquitous torches lined the walls and hung from the ceiling. "Lights," Sam commanded and very bright, white lights sprung into being above them, reflecting off of the black polished marble in a way that made it appear to be nearly white.
On the stage below the tiers of benches that ran around the amphitheater, were two black stone tables a few feet apart from one another with two guards standing on each side of each table and one standing at the head of both in a white lab coat, his hands clasped behind his back. "We've been preparing for this. I had hoped you would see reason, but I know how stubborn you are."
As they arrived at the bottom and walked onto the stage, Sam said, "Do you wish to climb up onto the table, or shall I have my friends help you?"
Tidbit hopped up onto one of the tables and Jenny followed his lead. She determined that she would put herself into her protected mental state as soon as possible, setting up her trance to collect all information like a tape recorder without having to invest any attention into any of it.
"I have a plan," Tidbit sent to her. "Nothing that occurs here is what it seems. I have taken precautions. Guard your mind and all will be well."
"I'd like to say I agree," she sent back, "but this looks pretty grim. Are you sure?"
"I am. Guard yourself now. This will not be pleasant, but we will triumph."
The guards grabbed her roughly and tied her hands and feet to leather-like straps attached to the table. The restraints gave her no room to move except her head. Tidbit passively allowed them to do something similar to him, growling that weird cat warning, part growl, part howl. The guards laughed.
Sam stood silently while they made their preparations, oddly enough the whole scene reminded Jenny of an operating room. Trays of implements were laid out, rough looking towels lay in stacks, and the big man in the lab coat observed it all without expression. The brilliant lights, focused entirely on the stage, were eerie in contrast with the darkness that seemed to hover beyond its influence.
"Allow me to introduce you to the Chief Conversationalist. He will assist me today." The man in the white lab coat nodded curtly at Jenny.
Sam stood there, her hands clasped in front of her, a smile of satisfaction on her face. For a moment she transformed, her features melting like warm wax into the Sam she remembered. All of those happy days, giggling together, doing one another's nails, researching in the library or binge-watching their favorite old television shows rushed through her mind like an arctic wind. And then there was a rush of grief for her loss of what she had thought was such a great friendship.
She knew there were times she felt she wouldn't have made it without Sam's encouragement. And now it came to this. She knew what Sam was doing. She knew this transformation was a move calculated to tenderize her. She knew there was no kindness or nostalgia in this act. It was one last, cold, conniving measure designed to make Jenny more receptive to their torture.
But she knew Sam now. An evil princess out of one of the fantasies she loved to read, Sam was nothing now, but her nemesis, and she would treat her as such. Sam would not get the satisfaction of any answers from her, if it meant her death. She set her determination and began to go through her exercises, distancing herself from the ordeal to come.
"You know I'm not going to make this easy." Sam's voice was almost a purr of pleasure. "This is definitely going to hurt you more than it will me. I've been looking forward to it, actually. Little Jenny perfect. Always top of her class. Always upright and honest. Never in for a little cheating or an unkind prank.
Now I will break you. When I am finished, you will love me for what I am, and you will be my perfect sycophant. We will be besties again. Doesn't that sound wonderful? But, as they say, 'No pain, no gain.' And I promise you, there will be pain."
Jenny listened, almost bored as she floated inside her protective mental bubble. She knew Sam meant every word, but she also knew that there were people counting on her. She must hold on. Tidbit had a plan. Then her key warmed on her neck. She almost felt Sam would be able to see it glowing, but Sam paid no mind. Was this an assurance from Miriha that she was doing the right thing?
Jenny was surprised, then, when Sam turned, instead of to her, to Tidbit.
"You, sly old cat, will be my tasty little sample. We want to give Jenny a preview of coming attractions, don't we? I've wanted to get my delicate, genteel hands on you for years. Do you remember Lizzie's friend Marie? That was little old me."
Her features melted again and now she was a petite dark haired middle-aged woman with a bob hair-do wearing a checkered shirt and jeans, a pair of gardening gloves in her hand.
"Remember all of those garden club meetings and shopping at the farmer's market? Oh, of course you don't. After all, Lizzie couldn't take a cat with her to a public place like that. It would have seemed way too weird. I worked on her for nearly ten years, hoping she might consider me as the guardian of her gate. Evidently, I didn't measure up for some reason.
It was always Jenny she went on about. I soon determined that it would be best for me to connect with Jenny instead. So, I ended up moving away to be closer to my grown children (who of course didn't exist) and just kept in touch with newsy little letters about my garden and news about impending weddings and grandchildren. That correspondence went on the entire time I was wooing Jenny."
Jenny turned this over in her head. How old was Sam, really? She knew that lifespans of beings within the Alliance varied wildly, from hours to eons. Earthlings had a fairly good lifespan, but many of the beings she had interacted with were hundreds of years old. She still didn't know how old Tidbit/Tarafau was, but she knew he was old when he met Lizzie, over 60 years ago. And where was Sam going with all of this reminiscing?
Sam reached out and chucked Tidbit under his chin. "Why is it that you haven't transformed, my little changeling? Why aren't you the great beast you are when you aren't on Earth? I had hoped to have more to work with, but then, we can get creative, can't we? Let's start with all of this fuzz and see what powerful muscles lurk beneath? I think you need a shave."
She gestured at one of the guards who handed her a straight razor.
"Now hold still, I'm not sure how sharp this little guy is, and I'd hate to cut you...before it's time." The nasty smile on her lips that Jenny could only see from the side before Sam leaned over Tidbit gave her chills even deep in her mental protection.
Sam lifted his face and started at his throat. For a heartbeat, Jenny thought she was going to slit his throat, but she didn't. Carefully she shaved the fur from his neck and then from his belly. She didn't speak as she worked, concentrating on removing every bit of fur from Tidbit's body and finally his face, without cutting him once. He lay their very still, the golden orbs of his cat eyes fastened on Sam's face the entire time he was facing her. When she had thoroughly stripped his underside, she had her guards turn him over on his belly, at which point he gazed into Jenny's eyes, nearly unblinking.
"She hopes to un-nerve you, by harming me. Remember, I have a plan. Remember, I have never failed you. Remember, you are the key to everything. You are loved. You are respected, and you are valuable to the entire multiverse. This doesn't end here."
Once Sam had stripped him of every vestige of fur she turned to Jenny. "What a handsome cat, yes? Now that we can see what we have to work with, where should we start? Not so intimidating without your armor, are you, kitty cat? Now that we have removed your armor, let's remove your weapons."
Without his fur, Jenny could see even more clearly the muscles rippling under his black skin. He looked smaller without his fur, but something about his attitude still made him look larger than life to her.
Sam reached for something similar to pliers and grabbed a toenail on his forefoot. "Let's see if we get a reaction from this, oh stoic one."
She started to pull, not quickly, as one would if they were trying to minimize the pain, but very slowly, extending the claw until you could see the base of the nail starting to ooze blood. The somber Chief Conversationalist nodded approvingly, as if he and Sam were having a mental conversation, not directed to Jenny. Tidbit's entire body shivered with the pain of it, but he did not cry out. One by one Sam pulled each of his claws until all four feet were bleeding. By the fourth foot, Tidbit was yowling in pain as Sam pulled the last five claws.
"Now that we've got the claws, the only thing deadly about you are your fangs. I'll need a stronger implement for that, but first I need to clean up this mess we've made."
She grabbed the top towel off of the stack and wiped up the blood that was strewn across the surface of the rock slab. Now, she had the Chief Conversationalist hold Tidbit's head. The end of his now snake-like tail lashed in frenzy and Jenny could see the effort with which he clamped his jaw closed.
She wanted to cry out. She wanted to tell Sam to stop and she would tell her anything she wanted to know, but she knew that Tidbit would not thank her for it. He had a plan. He had told her so twice, and she believed him, but could the damage Sam would inflict on him in the meantime be repaired?
A long screech came from his mouth as Sam levered it open, stuffing a rubber dental dam between his back teeth, which held his tongue down and made his yowls sound even more odd than before.
At that point Jenny saw what must have been a combination of the excruciatingly bright lights and her distress. Tidbit glowed briefly with a green tinged light. He was still yowling, but his eyes appeared unfocused and there was a slight change in the tone. More than likely the change in the sound was due to Sam slowly yanking at his fang. Tidbit's back arched and he squirmed frantically now. Jenny realized that tears were streaming down the sides of her face onto her ears as she looked away toward the ceiling.
When the first one came loose, shooting blood onto Sam's cat suit, she cursed and used a towel to dab at it. The second one broke soon after she grabbed it with the pliers, evidently because she was angry at getting his blood on her, as if it was his fault. She then proceeded as she had done with his claws, grasping each of his fangs and pulling slowly and firmly, all the while Tidbit was making that gurgling howl.
Jenny closed her eyes. She could no longer watch. Evidently Sam noticed this, so she kept up a stream of conversation about what she was doing, the look on the cat's face, the fact that his screams were fading and that he wasn't so tough as she thought, all in almost a drawl, as if she wasn't even interested in what she was saying, just talking out of boredom.
Finally, there was silence. Jenny had no idea if it had been hours or days since they were strapped to their stone slabs. As Jenny opened her eyes, she knew what she would see. Tidbit lay there like so much meat, slices in his skin, his mouth still open with broken teeth and missing fangs. His flesh on his belly lay in tatters and there was blood everywhere. There were even spots of blood on Sam's face, or rather the face of Marie. Her assistant was also spattered with blood, once again standing at the head of the two tables, his hands clasped behind his back, staring straight ahead with no expression.
For the first time, Jenny struggled against her bonds, wanting nothing more than to pound Sam's face into hamburger, to wipe that satisfied grin out of memory and change that smile into the look of terror frozen on Tidbit's face. She found Tidbit's growling yowl coming from her own throat. But she didn't speak a word. She would not give Sam the satisfaction of even one word coming from her mouth.
"There, there, sweetie. He was just a cat. No big deal from a cosmic point of view. He must have used up all of those nine lives, though, I think. Either that, or he didn't want to come back for more of this." And she waved her hand negligently at the bloody corpse.
"But what about our sweet Jenny? Will anyone miss you when you're gone? Besides that ragtag bunch of crusaders holed up on Earth. I imagine they have disabled my portal there by now. Not important, for, when you and I are finished with our little exercise, you will gladly hand me the Gatekeeper's key, and all will be well. My father will turn the multiverse over to the Insenium and will be exalted as the first power, just under the Insenium overlord himself.
I will be given your dimension as a gift for my service and will live happily in your little house on Infinity Loop, with all of the resources of your universe at my fingertips. Not bad for a hometown girl like moi."
And she morphed into her Sam guise. She grabbed one of the rough towels from the stack which was now shorter by about a fourth. She gently wiped at Jenny's tears, a look of mock concern on her face.
"I don't want to miss a moment of our fun together and I am tired. I will go catch a cat nap and leave you to do the same."
Jenny heard her footsteps fade away, followed by her guards. Obviously, Jenny was in no position to escape and she was fairly sure there were guards stationed outside the exits. As the door slammed behind them every light went out abruptly. Once again, she was in total darkness.
She floated in that darkness, her mind turning in her protective bubble. She had no desire to face the full impact of the last several hours. Even distancing herself from the pain and sorrow of her ordeal and the fear of the coming torture she was sure to receive at Sam's hands, she still felt unable to cope with what it would be like outside of her mental shield.
She tried to relax, as Sam had recommended, realizing, if she was going to get through this with her resolve intact, she would need to be as rested and energized as possible.
Then, suddenly, Tidbit's voice was in her mind. "I now release the memory of what I said to you in the 'thinking room'. Remember."
And she did. It bloomed in her mind like a candle in the dark. There really was a plan! Tarafau had known all along that his torture and "death" would be used to soften her up. He also knew her response would need to be genuine. So he allowed her to suffer, knowing in the end she would be glad for his subterfuge.
"Tarafau?" she queried into the darkness.
"We're coming," he sent, to her delight. "Hold tight for a minute more. When we cut you loose, be prepared to access your staff. You may not need it, but ready yourself mentally and physically for a fight."
Jenny nearly cried again in sheer joy. Fight or no fight, he was coming, and he was bringing others with him. She could face anything knowing that Tarafau was alive and on her side.
She felt the air stir in the darkened space. She nearly jerked away when a hand gently touched hers. "Hold tight, I have to cut this," sent Arvid. "Stay very still."
She didn't move, realizing he would be doing this by feel. As he cut the final bond holding her foot, she sat up carefully.
"We'll get some light on the subject in a moment," sent Tarafau. Jenny wasn't really sure how she always knew the difference between Tarafau's sendings and Tidbit's, but she knew this was Tarafau and she knew somehow, he was standing right next to the slab upon which she now sat.
"But before we do, you need to know there are quite a few of us and we're getting you out of here. The Fleistians just discovered we have breached their dimension. Right now, their guards are assembling. We have only moments. Stay close to Arvid and listen to his directions."
"Thank you, Tarafau, I will."
In the utter silence, she heard the doors at the top of the amphitheater open. Jenny suddenly remembered something her dad had said about the advantage of the heights in a battle and felt very exposed as she slipped off of the stone table. Her staff appeared in her hand. She grasped it firmly in the fighting stance, grateful for the feel of the sleek wood in her hands. Her key warmed and she realized she was still being guided.
"Look down," came Arvid's command in her mind, "And keep your eyes to slits. Look up when I tell you."
Jenny obeyed, realizing that this was to prevent the blinding effect of coming from pure darkness into light.
The lights came on and even with her eyes averted to the floor and closed to slits, it was still almost painful.
She heard a collective gasp and then Arvid said, "Look."
At first, she looked to the top of the amphitheater, noting Sam at the forefront of a group of Groga soldiers. Sam and her minions looked shocked and looking around, Jenny realized why.
On every row starting at the top, the stair-stepped benches were filled with...Tarafau! Well, not really Tarafau, but an army of beings enough like him as to be nearly indistinguishable. Every one of them had a blaster rifle trained on the pitifully small force surrounding Sam.
"You will not prevail!" she sent, her face twisted in shock and fury. "You'll never get out of here alive!"
Tarafau did not reply. He thought to Jenny, "I think we have a bit of a surprise for her. I'd have you out of here already, but I thought you'd like to see this."
She followed his glance up at the wall extending above Sam's head behind her. Perched on an extinguished torch bracket, directly above her was something that looked very much like a spider the size of Sam's old Smart Car. It spat something from underneath its pincers onto Sam's head which instantly covered her in a web that was attached to a filament which began to draw Sam upward.
Sam yelled something urgent to her Grogan soldiers, but they didn't budge, looking down the bores of the thousands of blasters pointed at them. Some of them edged towards the exit door but froze when a full platoon of Tarafau's cousins swiveled to aim directly at them.
Another couple of platoons strode forward, encircling the Groga soldiers menacingly. Tarafau's troops each put a hand on the shoulder of a Groga and flashed out of existence. Jenny blinked and returned her gaze to the now shrieking Sam who continued to be drawn higher and higher towards the waiting spider.
"Don't worry," sent Tarafau. "Your Sam is not going to be eaten by our little arachnid friend." He smirked and put one hand on Jenny's shoulder and one on Arvid's. "Let's go."
Immediately they were somewhere else, surrounded by Tarafau's people in a meadow. Not far from where they stood, were Lova, Burt, Bob and the rest of the Guardians as well as Jenny's Guards who looked at once shamefaced and relieved to see her. She would talk to them later and could hopefully make it clear that they were in no way at fault for her recent adventure.
Sanglarka had never looked so good.
